Part test and programming of horizontal integrated circuit (IC) device products (i.e., customized small lots of integrated circuit parts programmed for different purposes) is very labor intensive and error-prone due to customization per order, low part count per order, and high order count. These customized IC device parts are low quantity high order count products that with conventional manufacturing and programming processes require a large amount of effort by individual human operators for each order. The output IC device parts are individually handled in tape and reel media cut tape also requiring large amount of documentation and effort to handle and ship. The overall manufacturing and programming process for such customized IC devices requires a long list of tasks and process steps. These tasks and process steps include individual part handling per order (physically counting parts), transacting orders in business software packages such as Software Applications Products (SAP), recording order details on lot travelers, setting up a tester and handler and testing/programming the parts, setting up a laser marker and marking parts (if the part is post marked), setting up and scanning parts for defects, and managing the order to shipping.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional architecture 100 for part test and programming of custom horizontal integrated circuit (IC) device products from a common type of incoming uncustomized base IC device parts 103. As described below, the test and programming methodology of architecture 100 is performed in its entirety to produce one type of custom IC device part at a time before being repeated again in its entirety to produce another type of custom IC device part. Thus, the methodology of architecture 100 is repeated over and over for different individual IC device part orders. As illustrated, an individual custom IC device part order 111 specifies custom part programming and is provided to bookkeeping and order software (BKO) 102. A human planner 108 interacts with BKO 102 by reading the details of the given single custom IC device part order 111 from BKO 102 and then providing scheduling information to BKO 102 that specifies testing and programming parts for the given individual order 111 as a single lot by itself. A human operator 110 interacts with BKO 102 by reading scheduling information and specified custom programming directly from BKO 102 for the given individual order 111, and then controls programming and testing equipment 104 to custom program IC base parts 103 according to the individual order 111, and to test the programmed parts. Operator 110 reads the programmed part test results from programming and testing equipment 104 and provides the test results to BKO 102. Thus all commonly programmed custom parts of the single given custom order 111 are processed (tested and programmed) by programming and testing 104 under control of human operator 110 in batch fashion as a single lot 120 of commonly programmed custom parts corresponding to custom part order 111 which is then singulated by cut tape and reel media (i.e., as a single cut tape and reel media that contains only the same type of commonly programmed parts specified by the single given custom part order 111) for finished goods inventory (FGI) processing 106. This process is repeated for each different lot 120 singulating each order in cut tape and reel media, requiring the tape cut and packaged into an electrostatic bag after every individual lot 120 is manufactured and taped.
In FGI processing 106, the custom IC device parts of a single lot 120 in the electrostatic bag is handled for the single custom part order 111 into an individual package 122 for shipping under the control of human operator 112 as a single lot of commonly programmed custom parts to an end destination 130 specified by or otherwise corresponding to the given custom IC device part order 111. As shown, human operator 110 interacts with FGI processing 106 by handling cut tape and reel media in an electrostatic bag individual custom IC device parts from single lot 120 for shipping. Thus, the customized IC devices corresponding to the single custom part order 111 are separately processed from any other custom part order and are shipped together as one lot, with each processed and shipped lot of IC devices corresponding to only one custom part order. In this regard, methodology of architecture 100 is repeated over and over for each different custom part order to produce a separately processed lot 120 of custom programmed devices for each different custom part order.